Hunger and an Aspie

[tamarabannon]

My little man is 8. He has Aspergers, Sensory issues etc. He is, however, fairly mild. However, when he gets hungry, which can literally flip on instantly, he turns into a defiant, weeping, screaming, hitting, raging little boy.

We try to carry food, and prevent it, etc. But it does happen. As soon as he eats, he's back to his relatively normal self, cheerful, inquisitive, etc.

We do find that it's much worse when he's used the computer, DS, or is watching TV.

Does this happen to anyone elses kids?

 

[cgncga]

My little man is 8. He has Aspergers, Sensory issues etc. He is, however, fairly mild. However, when he gets hungry, which can literally flip on instantly, he turns into a defiant, weeping, screaming, hitting, raging little boy.

We try to carry food, and prevent it, etc. But it does happen. As soon as he eats, he's back to his relatively normal self, cheerful, inquisitive, etc.

We do find that it's much worse when he's used the computer, DS, or is watching TV.

Does this happen to anyone elses kids?

My almost 8 year old daughter, with epilepsy, seizures, vision issues and who we suspect has Aspergers, is the same way. We can almost set the clock by her need for meals and snacks. Yet, as soon as we get a couple bites of food into her (which in and of itself can be quite the challenge because once she gets to that point she insists that she's not hungry) her mood completely changes.

With her there doesn't seem to be a connection between her moods and electronic devices, though. It's all based on the time of day and if a meal or snack time varies by more than 15 minutes we have problems with her.

Catherine

 

[krisnme]

DS19 still has issues when he has missed a meal, although mild now, I can see him get agitated, grumpy and simply not able to follow instructions. My Nephew 14, while not officially diagnosed and high functioning is a mess if he does not eat every few hours. this week I was watching him, and didn't relise he did not eat lunch, he ended up cutting off most of his hair and having an explosive tantrum that lasted several hours and stopped almost the moment we relised he did not eat and got some food into him. I volunteered at school when DS was in public school and almost all the kids had to eat regularly to avoid meltdowns. I never go anywhere without a powerbar or two and other snacks in my purse. DS tends to eat small meals several times a day, this seems to work better for him than large meals and any particular schedule.

 

[tamarabannon]

thanks for your replies!

We've wondered if the extremity of the hungry tantrum/behaviour was related to the Aspergers -- which of course, it likely is, but we were wondering if the switch from ok to rage-a-tron was because of the Aspergers. (aka the resulting behaviour is magnified because of the Aspergers, but is the condition itself resulting from the Aspergers?)

 

[Ali]

I've had to get a note from the doctor to have my DS's school feed him every 3 hours because he eats so little that he had hypoglycemia and stopped functioning. He's a rule boy and he wants to please his teachers so he wouldn't complain that he ate breakfast at 6:45 and his lunch at school was 12:45. he was starving, headachey, getting irritated and starting to cry every day and his teachers kept complaining of his inability to focus on work.

I know having a routine helps my son, maybe you could do this kind of schedule?

 

[bookwormde]

what he is feeling is very "real" so it is just a matter of managing his needs the best possible in the real world. The fact that he does not have typical level of social dampening is a social characteristic variance, that he feels the hunger much stringer is a sensory characteristic.

 

[krisnme]

thanks for your replies!

We've wondered if the extremity of the hungry tantrum/behaviour was related to the Aspergers -- which of course, it likely is, but we were wondering if the switch from ok to rage-a-tron was because of the Aspergers. (aka the resulting behaviour is magnified because of the Aspergers, but is the condition itself resulting from the Aspergers?)

My personal opinion is that the behavior is a direct manifestation of one of the aspects of Aspergers, if you observe an infant or small child when they are hungry, they are cranky, unhappy, crying because they are uncomfortable and don't understand that that feeling will soon go away when they are fed.

Our Aspies (or at least some of them) are also unable to process that the reason they are uncomfortable is hunger, and that this can be fixed. My DS cannot even tell me what is wrong when he is unhappy. He knows something is wrong, but can't pinpoint the problem.

Our Dr. has tried to explain to us that his senses are sort of disconnected. for example he will fuss and cry over a hang-nail, but walked around unknowing when he cut deeply between his toes requireing several stitches (and a lot of carpet shampooing!)

I have gotten used to a great deal of monitoring of his diet and learning when he may be hungrier than other times (a sweet breakfast like donuts require an early lunch or snack, and early dinner requires a late light meal) and being prepared will eventually become second nature.

One last tip, our Dr. did test DS for diabetes just to be sure the problems were not from low blood sugars, it nevers hurts just to rule out other issues. Good Luck, and you are not alone!

 

[YarnBombed]

Been there, done that. DS hasn't been diagnosed with Asperger's YET (dr wants to wait until his 8th birthday, which is 6 mos away for us and if he does have it, it's extremely mild) but that sounds like my kid. If he's really hungry, he'll whine, he'll complain, he'll get angry.
The thing he does the most that drives me INSANE? He talks about himself in 3rd person in a whiny, baby voice.
"DS huuuungry! DS huuuungry! I so huuuuungry!"
Urgh.

 

[NotUrsula]

I don't find a connection in DS; when he was small he was simply a non-eater and could go all day without eating and frequently did. He wasn't any more moody on those days than he was on any others.

DH, otoh, is completely neurotypical, and not diabetic, but turns into Godzilla if he doesn't eat on a regular schedule.

I think some people are just really physically sensitive to swings in blood sugar levels, and some are not. I'm not sure that Asperger's is all that closely connected to the phenomenon.

 

[tamarabannon]

thank you again for the replies!

I understand getting crabby when you're hungry, but the behaviour my son exhibits is often extreme -- hitting, sobbing, growling, etc., so in that sense I do feel it relates to his Aspergers in some ways.

We've also checked for diabetes and he's not.

We're on a "balanced day" schedule. The kids eat at 10 am at the school, and again at 12:40 -- home by 3 when he starts looting the kitchen :-D

He'd eat non stop if we let him.

We've started his day with a boost, and find that over the last 3 months, despite the huge expense, it REALLY makes a difference in how his day goes. We've also sent some to school, and he has a spare in his bag as well.

I'm relieved he's not the only kid out there like this. Because he can seem very neurotypical, it's often difficult for me when he reacts in public, like waiting for food in a restaurant, because he just might look like a defiant little brat. Breaks my heart!

 

[WheeledTraveler]

My guess is that the root cause isn't directly Asperger's (probably hypoglycemia type issues), but the level of reaction in his behaviour is.

Is there any way it can be worked so he can eat more often (but possibly in smaller portions)? People with diagnosed hypoglycemia are often told to eat 5-6 smaller meals because it keeps your blood sugar level more regulated. So I don't know if doing that might reduce how often it happens. I'm not formally hypoglycemic, but I know I have to eat more than 3 times a day if I don't want to crash between meals (and my crashes range from falling asleep to occasionally if I'm home alone a full out tantrum - and I'm 26!).